Rush of Blood
by Andhera
Summary: Fourteen strangers have been invited to the village of the White tigers in the quest for Mao's prince charming. But, what if they start falling for Rei instead? [For Dev-chan; S-ai; Het]


Happy Birthday Dev! (mobglomp) Well, belated. I tried to get it up yesterday, I did! Words just wouldn't co-operate with me. So, here it is, a day late.

This one is long overdue. I was going to finish up my other stories before starting a new one, but it pounced on me when a friend was ranting about Bachelorette.

I've been on a weird writing spree lately.

Warnings? Yes, watch out for shonen-ai, which be fluffy, cuddly, sugariness between two boys. In turn, there will be straight-ness too, in case fangirls need a warning. Mao haters please don't flame me for lack of bashing. She is quite normal and liked in this here story.

So, with saying that I do not own Beyblade, I'll head off straight into the story.

* * *

Like most epic journeys in search of love, this one started at night. The moon was high, its feathery threads of silver scattering around the wilderness. The ethereal glow was complimented by dark shades of emerald and azure. A nightly breeze picked a leaf from its branch and delivered it to the surface of the lake beneath. Perfectly circular ripples formed around the impeccably green leaf.

Nonetheless, people were too engrossed in sleep to admire the breathtaking scenery. That or they were too busy tossing and turning thinking about unmarried granddaughters, unfound loves and eternal loneliness.

In one room, pink hair splayed across a bleached pillow messily. Unconsciously, the lips which formed a perturbed frown were being gnawed at mercilessly. The sheets were being massacred by fidgety fingers – bunched up one second, pulled apart the next. Unable to find sleep behind closed eyes, she shot up, a dissatisfied groan evaded her softly.

Leaving her abused blanket tousled on the floor, she stomped her way to a room down the hallway, managing not to wake anyone up. After softly opening and shutting the door, she flopped down on the futon.

"Oi, Rei." The girl tugged at the shirt which the boy slept in. "Rei."

A few muffled swearwords later, the boy pushed himself into a sitting position, though his brain was still lost in sleep. "What…" A yawn. "…is it Mao?"

"Am I going to die alone?" A forlorn look weighted down her usually bright eyes.

"No, no, I'll be there, if _I'm_ alive." The weary boy reassured her sleepily.

"Baka, that's not what I meant." A thin black eyebrow was raised. "I mean, will I ever find someone special, who I can be with forever."

"How am I supposed to---" Being on the receiving end of a lethal glare made him rethink his answer. "Sure, maybe."

"If there is a gene for reassuring people, you don't have it." She huffed, twirling a lock of her hair.

"In my defense, it's beyond midnight, and keeping me up at this unholy hour for girl talk is cruel and torturous." Rei whined, back towards the wall.

"In _my_ defense, I'm the only girl here, and you're the closest thing to a female I could find – Rei-_chan_" She smiled innocently.

"Why thank you, Mao-neesan." The raven haired boy drawled sarcastically. "But what are you going to do? Invite random bishounen to our village and pick one to marry?"

There was silence, in which Rei dosed off and Mao's eyes sparkled.

"That's brilliant." The insomniac squealed, tackling the sleeping boy into a hug.

Gasping for air, he glared at her with bloodshot eyes, "I was being sarcastic."

"But it makes sense."

"Whatever. Can I sleep now?"

"Sure."

Pouncing on the opportunity like the feline was reputed to be, Rei snuggled under the covers, eyes closed and mind shutting down.

"Ne, Rei-chan…" Mao stretched out on the futon comfortably. Rei grumbled childishly.

Needless to say, the next morning an utterly sleep deprived – not to mention homocidical - Rei and bubbly Mao walked out of the former's bedroom. Sensei, the master of the house, adored the idea of random strangers infesting the village in search for Mao's prince charming, which left Mao running wild in preparation and Rei smiling at her enthusiasm. She was like a sister to him after all.

Over the next few nights, Rei acquainted himself to bitter, caffeinated coffee. As a beverage, it was like acid down his throat. Tea was preferred. However, tea couldn't keep one awake. So, despite the jarring aftertaste, coffee grew to be Rei's best friend.

Pictures and contenders poured in like water from the local river. Rei uncomfortably squirmed at questions like _Do you think he's hot?_ and _Doesn't his ass just blow your mind?_ How the hell was he supposed to know anyways? He was a simple minded village _boy_.

But all that aside, he'd_ seen better_ and, _yes, his ass _was_ mind blowing_.

After two weeks of planning, the event had been set in stone. There were to be fourteen _guests_, each living in their own hut. Mao would spend two days with each, as well as _evaluate_ them over their interaction with each other, their behavior, and so forth. And Rei would be a _scout_. He was basically to eavesdrop and report - spy, in three letters.

People were to arrive tomorrow. Rei had exactly one night of peace left. One night to catch up on lost sleep. One more night of solitude before he'd be obliged to take the plunge – mentally – and become a girl for the next month. Evaluating random men from a picture album; what had his life come to?

He'd ponder that later. For the moment, the entire house was empty, and Rei had the couch to himself. Stretching out, he fell back mindlessly, preparing himself for long anticipated sleep. A gleeful purr tore through the blanket of silence around him.

It was followed by the echo of the loud doorbell.

The twenty-one year old mumbled threatening curses all the way to the door. Opening it, he came face to face with a stranger. This wasn't supposed to be happening till tomorrow. Who was he? Why was he here? Was the world hell bent on robbing him of sleep?

"Hi." He greeted, his voice decorated with false cheerfulness, to complement the equally fake smile.

Silence was the other's greeting. Silence and a cold, hard glare from regrettably beautiful crimson eyes.

"May I know who you are?" He was tenacious. He would not falter under the intense gaze. No, he'd only take a small step back.

"Hiwatari, Kai." The words were sharp and managed to nick Rei's enthusiasm. It, however, was not sharp enough to slice the tension between them.

"Oh." _Oh._ "What're you doing here a day early?" He asked blankly, quite annoyed that the rude stranger was keeping him from his sleep.

"I was waiting at the station to Kill Takao, but it was too cold." Oh.

"I guess you want to come in." The raven haired boy blatantly remarked, rooted to his spot.

"If I didn't, you'd leave me out here?" A blue eyebrow was raised in faint amusement.

"Of course not." Rei moved to the side, leaving room for Kai to enter. "That would get me killed."

"I'm not that violent." The newcomer assured, walking into the warmth.

"No, but Mao is." Oh.

"Tea?" The temporary host offered.

"Coffee please." A bare, almost unnoticeable smile played on the guest's lips.

"You drink it willingly?" He gawked in awe.

"Of course." The gawking didn't cease, although Rei busied himself with a cup of coffee and one of tea.

While they sipped slowly on their drinks, Rei inquired about the trip. The conversation (if it could be called that) lasted for a record of three minutes, after which Kai enjoyed his coffee in silence while watching Rei – who was seated on the floor with his arms crossed on the table – sleep.

Things would definitely get interesting.

The residents of the house returned to be greeted by one cold cup of tea, one empty cup of coffee, one sleeping boy and a man out of a magazine. Were Mao not in complete shock, she'd have lectured Rei and squealed at the guest, whom she recognized as Hiwatari Kai from the entries. Instead, she retrieved two blankets. With one, she covered Rei and planted a small good night kiss on his cheek. Nothing would be possible without him. The other she draped over the stranger, whom she would meet tomorrow.

The rest of the night slipped by quickly, like sand through fingers. Sunlight filtered in through the open windows. People were about their business, quite noisily Kai registered. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, wondering when he'd slept. Waiting to greet him was a cheeky redhead; one that he did not want to see first thing in the morning.

"Kai-_chan_!" Glare. "Good Morning." Stare. "My, weren't you anxious to get here." Leer. "And falling asleep beside this adorable one." Glower. "Who knew you swung that way."

"Shut. Up. Yuuri." Each word was punctuated with a half hearted attempt at rage. It was impossible to be angry with Yuuri.

"Is that anyways to greet your best friend?" He asked, shoving Kai aside to sit down himself.

"What are you here for anyways?" The stoic msn asked, scuttling away from the redhead. The moment the irritated question slipped past him, regret flooded him.

"You came to me last week crying your eyes out about Takao being a _Hidoi Baka_ and signing you up for some dating _thingee…_" Yuuri shrugged, "So, I signed me and Boris up."

"Does he know?"

"Let's just say he'll do to me what you'll do to Takao."

"Finally, some peace."

"And here I am trying to salvage your insanity."

"Your loss."

"Will you people get out of my room?" The sleepy raven haired boy mumbled, brushing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hi there." Amber eyes looked up to see a frowning Kai and a strangely euphoric redhead flashing a V.

Looking around, he realized he'd fallen asleep while drinking tea with a guest. For that he apologized. Silence and a scowl were all he got in return.

"He's forgiven you." The redhead's icy blue eyes shimmered down at him.

"How so?" A puzzled look crossed Rei's features.

"You're alive." Oh. "I'm Yuuri."

"Rei."

"Kawaii, na." Something about the mischievous twinkle in his eyes scared Rei.

"Um, thank you?" He stuttered unsurely, saved by the doorbell.

Excusing himself, he ran to get the door. Upon opening it, he saw four people, clad in finery, surrounding the door.

"Welcome to---" Before he could finish, a person took his hand and kissed it.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance Mao-san." The accent was foreign, Rei noted, pulling his hand back and blushing.

"Rei. Mao is inside." He iterated stiffly, receiving an apology from the regal gentleman, and giggles from the two people who lingered behind.

"Would you be so kind as to tell her that Robert, Johnny, Enrique and Oliver are here, miss?" The purple haired gentleman smiled down at Rei, who with his loosely bound hair and sleepy eyes painted the portrait of a female.

Inaudibly growling at the chuckles from Yuuri behind him, he plastered on another fake smile. "Sure, why don't you come in and meet the others." He reluctantly moved away from the door letting them in.

A chorus of three voices thanked him, and one grunted in acknowledgement. After a few failed attempts at glaring, Rei was ready to slam the door shut and trudge upstairs to the safety of his bedroom.

"Can we come in too, dude?" An enthusiastic voice beamed loudly, causing Rei to jump and Yuuri to chuckle once more.

"Sure why not, everyone else is." Rei sighed defeated. A little part of him had hoped the remaining thirteen _lucky_ contenders would spontaneously combust.

"Thanks man!" The navy haired boy grinned, tipping his lopsided cap. "The name's Kinomiya Takao. That's Max and Michael over there." He introduced the two Americans behind him.

"Nice meeting you." Rei smiled at them before adding, "Kinomiya-san might not want to go into the living room."

"Why?" Midnight eyes held a puzzled expression.

"Hiwatari-san is in there." The raven haired boy pointed out, his finger directing Takao's gaze to narrowing crimson eyes.

Letting out a frightened squeak, the twenty one year old enthusiast dove behind Rei. "Save me please."

Rei considered it seriously until he saw the fire in Kai's crimson eyes. The tenacious neko-jin inched back slowly, with Takao behind him. Reaching the wall, or as close he as he could with a cheeky Takao behind him, he stood a stupidly defiant look scattered in his sleepy eyes.

"Move." Blood red glared from behind a curtain of slate. "Please."

He didn't.

Takao straighten out, leaning his chin on Rei's shoulder and sticking his tongue out childishly.

"Don't provoke him…" Amber eyes sent a sidelong glace to the boy on his shoulder.

"Why?" Azure eyes glinted mischievously.

"Because I'm standing in between you two, and would very much enjoy living to see daylight tomorrow."

"Then. Get. Out. Of. My. Way." Kai's words were punctuated with poison that literally melted through Rei's courage.

"Kai, now don't go being mean to our cute little host." The redhead quipped, resting his chin on Kai's shoulder and smiling at Takao, who grinned back.

The doorbell rang once again.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Kai scoffed, noting that Rei was rooted to his spot.

"I'm not the only person that lives here, you know."

"That's a relief."

Glare.

Rolled eyes.

Hmph.

Yawn.

Pout.

Twitch.

Added Puppy eyes.

Added twitch.

Watery eyes.

Silence.

With a deep breath, "Kinomiya-san," Rei – with his pout and mildly watering puppy eyes – bawled, "why doesn't Hiwatari-san like me? I try so hard to be his friend, and make myself tolerable around him, but he just keeps shoving me away. He hates me now. But both Kinomiya-san and Hiwatari-san are precious to me. I can't just let him _hurt _you. Then, you'll be, well, _hurt_ and he'll be in _jail_."

Rei crumbled in Takao's arms, his voice soft and broken. In turn, the boy behind him wrapped his arms around his waist comfortingly, muttering a _there, there_ every once in a while.

Kai looked at the frail boy in his rival's arms and sighed. He hated making people cry. Tears were a soft spot for the stoic man. Yuuri's added glaring didn't help the situation. Why was he so quick to side with this child - _boy_ anyways?

It wasn't long before Kai took a step forward and rested his hand on Rei's shoulder. "I don't hate you."

"Really?" Rei's eyes could outsize a small island I that moment.

"No," was his monosyllabic reply.

"Aww, Kai-chan is a big softie on the inside." Takao and Yuuri cooed simultaneously.

"Shut up with your Kai-chan, Kai-chan already. It's annoying." He growled, returning to the couch sulking. He had been looking forward to skinning Takao.

Regaining his composure, Rei brushed away the false tears from his eyes. Takao and Yuuri watched in amazement as he resumed his life as if nothing had just happened.

"What?" He caught their awe stricken gazes.

"You faked that?" Yuuri voiced their thoughts while Tkao wordlessly nodded.

"It works like a charm every time." A satisfied grin settled on the boy's face as he went to fetch Mao.

"Things will definitely be interesting." The redhead quipped, turning to Takao. "Ne, Kinomiya-san?"

"Just Takao is fine." He smiled in return, holding his hand out. "Kinomiya Takao, Kai's best enemy."

"Yuuri." He shook the hand, "Kai's worst nightmare."

After a sinister smile was exchanged, Takao asked, "You here for the contest?"

"Nope, you?"

"Just here to see Kai squirm."

"That, and to get away from life a bit. But mostly to make Kai's life hell."

"I've heard about you. He really does love to hate you."

"That's because he's my sole victim. Thanks for signing him up."

"My pleasure."

Another smile was exchanged before Yuuri returned to flirt with his victim and Takao returned to Max and Michael for an update.

Rei returned to the living room to see five new faces. One of them – which was frighteningly pale - was glaring at Yuuri. A teal haired boy sat shyly in a corner. The three remaining men – Ozuma, Kane and Joseph – sat in a circle, talking.

The raven haired boy sighed. He was never in favor of this _thing_ he'd suggested in a half asleep stupor in the wee hours of the morning. Currently, he could care less. If it made Mao happy, it was an added bonus. With that thought in mind, he ventured over to the sanest of the lot, or so he thought.

"Hi there." He beamed, somewhat genuinely, at the shy boy.

"Hello." The boy smiled innocently, his loose teal braid spilling over his shoulder.

"I'm Rei."

"Zeo."

A mutual smile was shared, before the conversation carried on. This was how it had started - the epic search for love. Only, Mao would not be the only one unveiling its treasures.

These people were trapped now, and the only way to go was down.

* * *

And cue the internet down time. Just when I'm ready to post! How convenient...

Here are the contenders:

Boris, Zeo, Ozuma, Joseph, Kane, Kai, Yuuri, Takao, Max, Enrique, Oliver, Michael, Johnny and Robert.

Add to the list Rei, Mao, Lee, Kevin and Gary, and you have a list of who will be in the few as main and sub characters. Want anyone else in? Then just tell me so by reviewing, e-mail, MSN, etc.

Not a KaiRei story. (&gasp) I'm trailing out of my usual fandom. This will be YuuriRei. But I'm open to suggestions on other couples. Crack pairings are fine.

And, finally, Happy 2005!


End file.
